Solar Park South Competition

2010
Reggio Calabria, Italy
Designer at Reverse Architecture

We propose to laminate a number of "minor infrastructures" onto the Autostrada del Sole and to capitalize on the synergies inherent in bringing diverse functions together. First, a hiking/biking path can be developed into a major tourist attraction analogous to the Cinque Terre. It uses the Parco Solare Sud as a backbone and connects to the surrounding towns and landscape. Laminated to the hiking/biking trail are the following linear programs: an irrigation system that drains and cleanses water from the surrounding agricultural land and uses it for cooling and planting in the park; data centers (server farms) which can be located in tunnels, use locally produced solar energy, geothermal and hydronic cooling; a continuous solar canopy that provides both shade and energy; and a linear garden. Supported by these systems, several "nodes" will serve local and tourist users: a green market, agricultural distribution center, charging station for electric vehicles, and a hostel.

The great advantage of this tactic of lamination is that it is scalable and incorporates many constituencies that may contribute to its realization. The major public components are the hiking and biking trails, the solar canopy, garden, and irrigation system, which require an initial investment to begin the project and then will be expanded over time. The data centers and smaller nodal programs can be privately funded and also contribute additional funding to the development of the irrigation and solar components as they provide cooling and energy. Most architectural elements are made from simple, mass-customized components that can be prefabricated off-site. Major areas of technological research and innovation will be in the use of fabric photovoltaics, which is an emerging technology, geothermal and hydronic cooling, and discovering possible synergies among the various programs, such as the reuse of waste heat from the data centers or multiple reuses of gray water.

Role: As the project designer, I was in charge of developing our initial idea into a more solid foundation, manifesting it into both a programmatic plan for the entire park and the design of one of the nodes, and creating most of the project graphics for the competition.